Putin to take part in East Asia Summit in Singapore

Russian President Vladimir Putin will take part in the 13th East Asia Summit (EAS) on the third day of his official visit to Singapore.

The Kremlin press service reported that Thursday’s plenary session will focus on “issues of strengthening regional security and combating terrorism, boosting cooperation in the sphere of healthcare, high tech and environment protection.” The summit began on Wednesday evening with an informal event, where Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong welcomed heads of delegations from EAS member countries.

Putin arrived in Singapore on Tuesday, November 13. On the fist day of his official visit, he met with Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob. On Wednesday, November 14, Putin took part in the Russia-ASEAN summit and held several bilateral meetings, including with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsein Loong.

The East Asia Summit is an authoritative platform for cooperation between countries in the Asia Pacific on a wide range of political and economic issues. Traditional agenda includes ensuring peace and stability in the Asia Pacific, improving regional security architecture, cooperation in the spheres of energy, ecology, healthcare, education, financial issues, food security and others.

This annual international forum has been held since 2005 in connection with summits of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The forum brings together 18 countries – ASEAN member countries (Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines) and dialogue partners (Russia, US, Japan, South Korea, India, China, Australia, New Zealand).